-There Stands the Grass Pt. 6-

"Shit, there's too much here!" I yelled out loud, shooting off the head from one of the green creature just as it was about to attack me. So far, only just about eight minutes into the damn common rooms of Vault 22 and we are getting out asses kicked by the lichen covered freaks. We just discovered some key card in one of the rooms that leads us to the caverns a floor above us. Right now, me, Veronica, Natalie and Kip are in a bit of a predicament.

Veronica punched out one of the strange humanoid's head, leaving more of the lime colored ooze on her Power Fist. "That's what we get for trying to sneak past the patch of foliage. Apparently just the slightest of sound through the plants will even make them wake up. I think they are light sleepers..." She kicked away one that lunged forward at her over the middle bench. "Darn, it's like they are multiplying by something here, but what is making them pop out of nowhere?!"

Natalie has her shotgun out, trying to keep her gecko companion, Kip, from getting hurt from the abominations. "If only we got something to exterminate this group of pests, but how!?" She backed away until she bumped into a closed door we haven't gotten into. "Huh?" She opened up the door and looked inside. "Keep those things at bay! I'll look in here for anything useful!" She and Kip sprint inside the undiscovered room.

"Yeah, leave us to fucking deal with these things. We don't fucking mind at all!' I made a sarcastic remark out loud. "Natalie better hurry up and bring what she finds." I took my hunting knife out of the sheath and stabbed a couple through the heads. The same green vapor lifting away from their bodies got into my lungs as soon as I breathed in. I fell to my knees, experience the worse cough I have along with pains in my chest and unexpected chills on my body. Fuck, what the hell is going on with me!? I thought.

"I got you." Veronica got in front of me to protect mw from the creatures attacking us. One punch after another, she tried her luck eradicating the things to buy Natalie some time. "Crimson, you better pull yourself together. I don't think my Power Fist's condition will last any much longer with these things."

I don't know if I have enough strength to lift my aching ass up off the darkened, cold floor below me. Picking up my hunting knife and pushing myself off the floor, I shoved Veronica out of my line of sight and thrust the knife down the cranium. "Die, bitch!" I wheezed and huffed heavily. I fell back onto my knees, still inhaling the vapors from the harden, semi-scaly skin that made me cough even more.

"Move out of the way, guys!" Natalie yelled from behind me. "I don't want you becoming charred bodies in a matter of seconds." I turned around, seeing Natalie holding something with a little flame on the nozzle of the big barrel portion of the weapon. The other half on her back is gray, round, and almost cylindrical with two containers on each side. "Have a taste of the Flamer, freaks!" With a pull of the trigger, a stream if flame pushed forward to the creatures on front of us, instantly killing them to my surprise.

"Well, if fire kills plants, maybe it kills those things, too." Veronica spoke. I felt her hands grabbing my right and and slung it around the back of her neck. "I'll take her upstairs to rest a bit, try to extinguish of any remaining things around this level, okay?"

"Will do, just make sure Crimson rest for a bit before we head back upstairs to the caverns." Natalie replied, hearing the Flamer being ignited at the creatures.

Veronica held me up with all her strength as we head back to the way we came to the floor above us. Even with my weight, I doubt there is any complaining from her when we got up the stairs. I have no clue why I am so weak, my body aching from each step I take is unbearable. I huffed, taking the remainder of my strength on my feet and walk past the projector Natalie named a while ago to the little eating area across the large corridor. "Hold on, we are almost there. Just hang on for a few seconds." Veronica informed me.

I wish I can, but as weak as I am thus far, my legs gave out. I landed on my knees just as we are about feet away from the doorway to the left of us. "Can't...go on..." I huffed and wheezed, falling down to the floor on my left side of my body, shaking at a continuous but mild rate.

"Hold up, Crimson. Can't let you lie on the hard floors." I felt a couple of arms slip under my legs and back, hoisting me up into the air as I am slowly being carried forward through the doorway to the left. "There..." It was Veronica that was carrying me, and setting me down to where I am leaning against the wall on the soft, red cushioned, long chair. "Man, you don't look well. I doubt it is the radiation that is making you look as white as an albino Radscorpion, and I have never seen those things before besides books."

As much as I wanted to shut Veronica's mouth up and keep her comments to herself, but with the condition I am in I don't think I have the strength to even talk. Each inhale I take makes my chest and body ache. I opened my eyes, dizzy as I seem to be, and eyed Veronica. "Th...Thanks..." That's about the only thing I can say through my weary voice.

"It'll be a while for Natalie and Kip to burn down those things with just a Flamer. While we are at it, I might as well find something to eat and drink." Veronica said, looking around the little area around us. "Ooh! Nuka-Cola bottles, my favorite!" She eyed three dark colored bottles on a table across from me.

"Nuka...Cola?" I squeaked. I have never heard of a drink like that other than those Sunset Sarsaparilla beverage that appeared in my memory clip. "Aren't they suppose to be those Sarsaparilla drinks?"

Veronica grabbed the three bottles and set them on the table beside me, sitting on the opposite chair after that. "Nope, Nuka-Cola is what they are called. They are quite rare over here, unlike that Sarsaparilla Star bottle cap you got as a necklace. Just one sip of it and your taste buds will be exploring numerous fruit flavors. Not to mention they are flat and a tiny bit irradiated. But who can not resist one of these?" She popped off the bottle cap with just her hand and took a few huge gulps. "Yummy!"

"Nuka-Cola!?" The sound of Natalie's squealing voice almost made me jump off the long chair as soon as she popped up from the doorway. "Oh may, I haven't had one of these since I was thirteen when my father and mother at that time were moving into New Vegas!" She walked forward, but stopped just two feet from me with a look as if she has seen something wrong with me, which that might be it. "My, my, Crimson. Are you okay? You don't look so good."

I glared at Natalie and groaned, shifting myself up to grab one if the dark colored liquid bottles with my shaking, weak left arm. "I'm fine, I just need to rest a little." My voice don't sound that enthusiastic, nor that clear because of the immense amount of that green vapor floating around in my lungs. I don't know why that substance has to do with what condition I am in right now, but I hope I can pull through. "Well," I spoke, really hoarsely as I twist my body to have my feet propped on the floor. "what's next on our agenda?"

Veronica took another sip from the bottle and chomp on some small, reptile kind if thing on a stick. "Well, we got the key card from one if the rooms that'll open up the door to the caverns. I'm betting Keeley might be stuck in there. Just hope she is still alive right now."

Natalie gave Kip, who hopped on her lap, a piece of a long, bended leg that looked like it came from a mantis. "Plus," she spoke, trying to push the contents of the bits of meat in her right cheek to talk. "we still need to find whatever research Dr. Hildern has wanted us to search for. But, with your condition Crimson, it'll be a while." Kip chittered a little, taking another bite of the mantis leg.

I coughed a little, even spitting some glowing green mucus out of my mouth. Ugh, that tasted bitter. "I'll be fine, just need a little rest from the mission. Maybe I'm just feeling a little under the weather nowadays." I took the last unopened Nuka-Cola bottle and tried opening it with my bare hand. I struggled, grunting as I tried to twist the damn bottle cap off of the bottle. "A...little help!" I knew I don't have enough strength to even take one simple bottle cap off of a glass bottle.

Natalie snatched the bottle off my hand and used some little tool and bend the bottle cap backwards in a right angle before it was completely popped off. "Here you go. You can keep the bottle cap opener and the cap. I've already got one other opener like that in my pocket."

"Thanks, Natalie." I wheezed, along with coughing up more green mucus our of my mouth. After putting the opener and the cap in my little bottle cap pouch, I took a little sip of the dark colored beverage, smacking my tongue against the roof of my mouth to determined its taste. My eyes widen at the drink, lifting it back up to my lips to take several more sips of it. "Wow! I have never tasted anything like this before! This is delicious!" I took several huge gulps from the irradiated aftertaste drink before eyeing my companions, whom in fact are staring at me. I place the half filled glass bottle on the table to glare back at the two. "What?"

Both Veronica and Natalie eyed me in horror, leaning back against the back of the long chair as if I am about to lean forward and slid their throats with my hunting knife. Natalie gulped, her hand shaking as she raised it up and pointed at me. "H-H-H-Has that patch of green been on your cheek this whole time?" She whimpered.

"Green...patch?" I said, hoarsely. I lift my hand up, feeling it shaking a little, and touched the right side of me cheek. But there is nothing but smooth skin. "I don't think I have a patch on my face." I even touched the left side of my face, nothing.

"Hold on." Veronica got up off the chair and sprinted out of the room. She made a hard left through the doorway with her footsteps faintly echoing away from us.

Natalie reached her arm to be and placed I on my forehead. "Oh my, Crimson." She took back her hand before feeding her gecko another mantis leg. "You really are burning up. You're probably as hot as the fire on my Flamer." I shot her an unenthused glare as if she was giving off a bad joke. "Not saying it's a joke, but I am really worried about you..."

I turned away and fixed my eyes at the doorway, a huge sneeze escaped from my mouth. Sniffling and shivering, I tried hugging myself to keep myself warm, which I doubt will work anytime soon. "I...I w-w-wonder...what V-V-Veronica is g-g-going to get..." Even my bottom jaw is trembling and tapping my top teeth rapidly. Fuck, I can't keep control of my body temperature.

An alarming sound of some glass being shattered from another area near here. "Just a second!" Veronica yelled, her footsteps coming back to us. She appeared through the doorway holding something in both of her hands as she ran towards me. "I think you need to see for yourself." She held up the mirror up to show my reflection.

I took one glance, but a glance was all I need to snap my neck at my horrendously, pale face with a patch of green on my cheeks. "Wh-Wh-What th-th-th-the f-f-f-fuck!?" I trembled, feeling a portion if my cheeks shifting for some reason. I turned my head to show my right cheek near the mirror, seeing some kind of scaly pattern appearing all over the green patch. I suddenly began hyperventilating. "No...no! What is happening to me!? What the fuck is going on with me!" I yelled, tears began forming out of the corners of my eyes.

"Crimson, calm down, please." Natalie spoke softly. "There is no reason to start getting paranoid by some green patches." She held onto Kip in her arms, pushing herself off of the chair to stand next to Veronica. "But we really need to find Keeley as soon as possible before Crimson's condition worsens by the minute. Who knows what will happen to her!"

I trembled vigorously, propping both my hands on both the table and the head of the chair and hoisted myself off the seat with what little strength I still got in my arms. My body ached more, I feel like falling forward once I got onto my feet, but luckily both Natalie and Veronica grabbed both my arms and slung it over their shoulders. "We better make this mission a quick one and find Keeley right away if we are ever going to get you better Crimson." Veronica spoke before she and Natalie took a step forward.

A small whimper was heard near Natalie's feet. "I know, Kip. I'm worried about her, too." Natalie spoke, probably to her gecko companion. Man, that's one smart gecko she has with her. I wish I have a pet like Natalie's, that way he or she will protect me from anything.

We got back to the same route we took to walk our way to the metal door that covers the entrance into the caverns. Natalie and Veronica still kept a good hold of me when we are mere feet from the door. Apparently my condition worsened a bit: more green scaly patches began forming on my bare shoulders, sweat began pouting down my face, my body is still aching bit very immense, and I am getting weaker and weaker every second I take in this vault. "Are...we there?" I whispered weakly.

"We are, just hang in there." Veronica spoke, taking my arm off of her shoulders. Something of a click and tapping sound was semi-audible near me followed by something metal grinding in front. "Alright, got it open." Her footsteps came towards me as I felt my left arm slung over her shoulders again. "One step at a time..." We all began walking again into the caverns.

I don't know what's worse in this mission: finding Keeley in this confusing maze of a vault or me ending up highly ill for some unknown reason whatsoever. Each step they took only made matters worse due to my whole body being so limp and sore. "Hey, some mantises." Natalie informed. "Kip, go take care of them while we set Crimson down for a moment." I can hear Kip chittered a reply at its mother as I was being propped down against the rocky walls.

"This doesn't look well, the trail here is probably long and hazardous, not to mention filled with mantises probably." Veronica spoke, probably to Natalie. "It'll be a while if we are ever going to find Keeley here if Crimson is too weak to stand up."

"I have an idea. But it might be a bit risky." Natalie implied. "One of us has to stay here and keep an eye on Crimson and monitor her status, while the other can run deeper into the caverns and find Keeley as fast as possible."

"I wish that can be possible," Veronica replied. "but we don't know if any more of those humanoid things will pop up out of the plants and kill Crimson here. I guess I will have to carry her on my back while we make a run deeper in here. You and Kip can be in front of me in case anything dares to attack either one of us. Win-win?"

A short silence filled the air, making me a little curious to what Natalie is thinking in her mind about Veronica's suggestion. "Might as well go with your option for right now. Let's hurry!"

I tried my best to keep my eyelids open, but because of the drowsiness, it slowly shut itself closed. "Allioop!" My eyes went wide open again when I felt myself being slung up onto Veronica's back to the point of me hurling the Nuka-Cola out of my stomach. "Hang tight, this'll be a bumpy ride!" Veronica warned, but the warning didn't sit well with me once she started running forward. Twist, turns, dodging and near tripping isn't what I was expecting in this gut retching ride on her back.

"Up the hill!" Natalie shouted, giving off a couple of shots at something. "Two huge mantises down!" I didn't know what she meant, but I felt Veronica's upper body leaned forward with her legs pushed up on a steep incline I noticed as I opened one of my tired eyes. The incline wasn't that long, thank goodness, and so was the running pace.

I moaned and lifted my head up to see a vast area filled with a dark green fog in the air. But the question is when I looked at the edge of the cliff on how the four of us are going to reach down to the ground if there is nothing in front of us to help up land safely there. I looked left, seeing a small, narrow, rocky ramp that leads to the lower level of the cavern. "How...about..." I whispered, but all I can do as of this moment is to point at the ramp to bring both Veronica and Natalie's attention to it.

"A good idea, Crimson." Veronica agreed. "But the path is a bit steep. I'll just have to try taking one step at a time. Of course, with you on my back, that's a challenge because of the state you are in I'm afraid I will accidently trip and let you fall down with a broken limb or two."

I growled, wrapping my arm near tightly around her neck to keep my hold of her. "Just...be careful..." I grumbled, betting Veronica can understand me through my slumped head with my lips in her hood. The sound of some scuffling under me indicates that Veronica is slowly sliding her foot through the ground to the steep ramp.

"Be careful, guys." Natalie's worrisome voice trailed from my right. "I'll be right behind you in case anything happens to both of you."

I quickly opened my eyes again, huffing and puffing heavily as I watch every careful footstep Veronica slid in the incline. But my vision, however, is started to get a little blurry. Not to mention that everything I see in the area is swirling around uncontrollably. What's...happening? I thought to myself just as I shut my eyes tight and groan. Everything is spinning, my whole body feels like it's spinning even whole I'm on Veronica. I reopened my eyes, my vision still blurry but everything at a different color. Something hissed, making me twist my head in different directions until I saw one of those lichen creatures with wings as it attacks me. "NO, GET AWAY FROM ME YOU DAMN FLYING LICHEN THING!" I yelled at the top of my lungs.

"What ha-WHOA!" Veronica somehow to a misstep on the ramp, thus having our bodies leaned forward as we plummet face first towards the ground. We kept falling closer and closer to the ground until something caught us on out abdomens just as our heads are a about a foot from touching the ground. Something, or someone, lowered us carefully to where Veronica is lying on her belly, with me still on her back.

"Whew, glad my rope tying skills haven't failed me with these brittle arms." A hoarsely, Ghoul-like voice sounded from behind us. "I'm surprised that with all those mishaps that happened back in the upper levels of the vault, you three manage to survive. And I suppose the NCR has ordered you three to come find me down here, right?"

Veronica shift me to my side and let go to stand on her feet. "Yes, apparently. Dr. Angela asked us to come find a person named Keeley. Is she around here?"

I slowly turned myself to my ever aching back, seeing both Natalie, with Kip in her arms, and a female Ghoul walking carefully down the slope to the ground. "I happened to be Keeley. Yeah, I know it's hard to look at a Ghoul such as myself, but I'm not mindless like those ferals you see wandering around the wastes, killing those that are not of their kind.. But, Angela, you say?" She gave a little chuckle. "She's is so thoughtful unlike her pedant she is currently working for."

"Umm, Keeley, ma'am?" Natalie spoke, grabbing the ghoul's attention. "Apparently our friend on the ground needs some help. Do you think you can find the problem to her condition?

I looked at Keely, who also took a quick look at me and stood horrified. "Oh no, not another one..."

"Huh?" Both Natalie and Veronica eyed Keeley with confusion.

I lowered my eyebrows, confused at what Keeley said. "Wha-" I was about to speak, but the wave of the aching coughing overfilled me. I remained on my back, groaning and teeth chattering from shivering.

"Damn it..." Keeley ran up to me and went on her knees as one of her fleshy hands grabbed a hold of my frail left wrist and counted, to my confusion. "Great, her heart rate is sky rocketing, and her respiration is fluctuating at a dangerous rate." She turned to Natalie. "Has she inhaled any green spore from those Spore Carriers in the upper levels?"

"Umm..." Natalie spoke. "Well, I always thought it was the hibiscus flower on her ear would be the cause of her allergies-"

"This is no case of any allergy, ma'am." Keeley interrupted her as she put my wrist down and placed her hand on my forehead. "Running a high temp, countless Goosebumps and teeth chattering from chills, paleness and..." She stopped talking and gasped. "several green patches of a scale pattern on the exposed skin?" She went dead silent for a second. "She's already on the third stage of the Dexcrobis Hibcus. We need to tend to her immediately before she reaches to the final stages!"

"Dexcrobis Hibcus?" Natalie was the first to ask about the fancy words. "What is that?"

Keeley sighed and shook her head. "Dexcrobis Hibcus, also known as the Greenscale disease. It only attacks those who have a mild to a weak immune system, mainly those who develop a cold or the bug virus moments before that. Only way to be effected by the Dexcrobis Hibcus is if you inhaled the thin cloud of vapor emitting off of the hard skin if the Spore Carriers."

"So, that would explain why Crimson was coughing too much when she was near those things as soon as she killed about five of them." Veronica replied.

"Five!? This is worse than I thought." Keeley warned. "Having too much of that inside of her lungs is fatal and near untreatable. She has nearly all of the symptoms to the disease, but I must ask if she has seen anything that you two have not?"

Everything is dead silent for a while, except for my chattering teeth that is echoing in what little area we are all in. "Well," Veronica began to reply. "She did mentioned something about that spore thing with wings on its back attack her while I had her on my back. What about it?"

"Damn it..." Keeley growled. "She's developing some delusional symptoms as of now. That one of the conditions in the third stage of the disease. We need to get to the lab immediately and put her in a comatose state while I run so-"

"No..." I groaned, having enough of being unconscious for one day or two. I started shaking my head as the wave of dizziness returns with my eyes closed. Everything was spinning again, making my stomach churn because of that. I reopened my eyes to see Feral Ghouls looking down at me. My eyes widen as I tumbled away from them and drew out my hunting knife from its sheath. I huffed and puffed, seeing the Ghouls walking towards me with their hand reaching towards me. "Stay back! I'm not afraid to slice you all to mince meat!"

"Crimson!?" The Ghoul in the middle with the voice of Natalie spoke. "What's going on!" Why are you acting like this!?"

"That's one of the symptoms I'm afraid will come about." The ghoul on the left with Keeley's voice spoke. "She's experiencing both paranoia and delusions. Next thing you know, she'll end up attacking us from madness. We need to pin her down so I put her to sleep."

"No way in fucking hell would you freaks decide to attack me!" I yelled, lunged myself forward and swung my knife around at the ghouls. "Damn kt, fucking hold still!" I kept swinging and swinging at them, but they just kept dodging at any direction at a fast rate. I'm not going to let these Ghouls fool me into thinking they are my friends. "Whatever you did with my friends, I'll fucking kill you for that!"

The feral to the right came really close to me. "Crimson, it's us! Natalie, Keeley and Veronica. We need to treat you immediately or you'll never come back!"

I growled as a warning at the ghoul, but seeing how I am highly scared to have them near me, I grabbed its wrist and yanked it to make it tumble feet from me. I turned back around to the remaining two ghouls coming towards me. "Okay, who's next!" I held my hunting knife at them, huffing and puffing with something shifting in my skin.

"No, the fourth stage is starting to show!" The one with Keeley's yelled. "Look, I don't care if she's your friend or not, but you must knock her out before she turns into one of the carriers!"

"I'm not going to fall for your damn lies, freaks!' I yelled, huffing more and more with rage. "I wont be subjected to your words! DIE!" I pulled my hand with my knife back to draw an attack on them.

"Sorry, I guess I got no choice!" The voice of Veronica sounded from behind made me stop in my tracks. "You can be mad at me once you wake up." Confused, I turned around to meet Veronica's gaze, only to have the ghoul's hand hit the left side of my face so hard to the point of me landing on the ground with a thud.

"The disease is spreading!" Keeley's voice echoed as my vision begins to fade. "We need to treat her fast or it'll be too late! Come with me!" That was the last thing I remember before slipping away to darkness.